Eggs with Tomatoes - Avgh Me Tomates (Strapatsada)

Ingredients
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1 medium-sized and diced Onion
1 1/2lbs. Ripe, peeled and sliced Tomatoes
 Salt
 Pepper
1 teaspoon Sugar
6 whole or beaten Eggs

Preparation

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and sugar. Simmer for 30 minutes or until tomatoes are soft. Add the eggs, whole, or beaten. Cover and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes. Serves 3 to 4.
 

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GreekCuisine.com

Taramosalata

Ingredients
115g/4oz smoked mullet roe
2 garlic cloves, crushed
30ml/2tbsp grated onion
60ml/4tbsp grated olive oil
4 slices of white bread, crusts removed
juices of 2 lemons
30ml/2tbsp milk or water
freshly ground black pepper
warm pita bread to serve

Preparation

1. Place the smoked fish roe, garlic, grated onion, oil, bread and lemon juice in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. 2. Scrape down the edges of the food processor to ensure that all the ingredients are properly incorporated. Blend quickly again. 3. Add the milk or water and process again for a few seconds. (This will give the taramosalata a creamier texture.) 4. Pour the taramosalata into a serving bowl, cover with clear film (plastic wrap) and chill for 1-2 hours before serving. Sprinkle the dip with black pepper and serve with warm pita bread.

excerpts from: "The Food and Cooking of Greece"  

Classic Greek Bean Soup

Ingredients
1/3 cup extra-virgin Olive Oil
3 medium onions halved and cut into thin slices
1 seeded and chopped Chili Pepper
2 celery ribs, trimmed and chopped (with leaves)
2 peeled, cut in half lengthwise, and then into 1/4 - inch half-moon slices Carrots
1/2 lb medium-sized white beans, wuch as cannellini, soaked overnight or according to package directions
6 cups Water
1 large Bay Leaf
3 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
 Salt
Freshly ground Pepper
3-4 tbsp strained fresh lemon juice or sherry vinegar

Preparation

Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large soup pot and sauté the onions and chopped chili pepper over medium-low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the onions begin to caramelize, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the celery and carrots and continue to cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 2. Add the beans to the pot, toss to coat, and pour in the water and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce flame, and simmer, partially covered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the beans are completely soft. 3. About 1 hour after the beans begins to simmer; add the tomatoes. Ten minutes before removing from heat, add the parsley and season with salt and pepper. When the beans are done, pour in the remaining olive oil and lemon juice or vinegar. Serve hot. 

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Potato Salad (Patatosalata)

Ingredients
 4 large Potatoes
1 small onion, sliced in rings
3 spring onions, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
mint or dill
1 carrot (cooked and sliced)

Preparation
Rub and wash the potatoes. Boil them in their skins until tender. Drain, peel and cut into thick slices. Place into a salad bowl, and add the rest of the ingredients. In a well covered jar mix and shake all the dressing ingredients. In a well-covered jar mix and shake all the dressing ingredients. Pour it over the potatoes and toss well. Cover and let the potato salad marinate for a few hours before serving.

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Cooked Zucchini Salad (Kolokithakia Vrasta)

Ingredients
2 lbs small young Zucchini
Oil-Lemon Dressing (Courgettes)

Preparation
Lop both ends off zucchini and wash. Drop in a large pan half filled with hard boiling water and boil 15-20 minutes, until tender. Do not overcook. Drain in a colander and pour a little cold fresh water over them, to set the fresh green color and the texture. Drain well. If cooked in advance, keep covered in the refrigerator, until used. To serve, drop them for a minute in hard-boiling water and drain. Arrange on a platter whole or cut in rounds. Pour on oil-lemon dressing, just before serving.
 

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Shrimp and Caper Salad

Ingredients
2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled,deveined, and tails cut off
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 scallions, white and tender green parts, finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
30 cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh oregano
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation
Bring a large saucepan three-fourths full of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the shrimp and simmer until pink, about 5 minutes. Drain the shrimp and rinse quickly under cold water.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the garlic, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes. Add the hot shrimp to the garlic mixture and marinate for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, toss together the shrimp with the marinade, the scallions, red onion, capers, celery, and tomatoes. To make the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together the oregano, olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and vinegar. Pour over the shrimp and vegetables, add the parsley, and toss to incorporate. Cover and refrigerate until ready to eat. Serve chilled.


excerpts from: "Cat Cora's Kitchen", by Cat Cora

Tomato Croquettes with Cucumber Yogurt

Ingredients
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, or more as needed
1 plum (Roma) tomatoes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon finely chopped roasted oil-packed Calabrian chilies or 2 or 3 small red chilies, roasted oil-packed Calabrian chilies (see Resources, page 190) or 2 or
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh Italian (flat-Leaf) parsley
1/2 cup finely chopped scallions
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh basil
Pinch of sugar, if needed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs, preferably panko crumbs (note: Japanese panko crumbs, coarser and lighter than ordinary bread crumbs, give a crisper coating to this) 


Preparation

Cucumber Yogurt - Tzatziki: This cool, tangy yogurt takes just minutes to make, and yet it's so delicious on so many foods, it makes its way to my table on a regu­lar basis. Add a little diced red onion and try this as a wholesome substitute for mayonnaise in tuna or chicken salads. My family in Greece treats this as a condiment, and prepares it just about daily to serve with roasted chicken, brisket, pita bread, meatballs, and fried fish. It's considered essential with roasted lamb; even the gyros vendors on the streets in Athens won't let you walk away without a dollop of tzatziki on top of the meat. There are a dozen different ways to cut cucumber for tzatziki­sliced, chunky, minced, diced-but my favorite method is the one I learned while on Skopelos. Using an old-fashioned metal grater, I grate my peeled cucumber right up to the seeds while holding it over the yogurt to catch all the juices and the flavor. 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced 1 teaspoon kosher salt 2 cups plain yogurt (regular or low-fat) 1 medium cucumber, peeled and halved lengthwise In a bowl, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and yogurt. Grate the cucumber halves into the yogurt mixture up to the seeds; discard the seeds. Mix well. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serve chilled. SERVES 4 TO 6 Preparation: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Core the tomatoes and slice them in half lengthwise. Place in a bowl and toss with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet, cut side down. Pour any oil remaining in the bowl over the tomatoes. Bake until the skins are wrinkled and tomatoes are soft, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel the skins from the tomatoes and discard. Place the tomatoes in a colander set over a bowl for about 20, minutes. Press on them occasionally to break them apart and release their juices (see note). Heat 2 tablespoons of the remaining olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, 3 or 4 minutes. Add the garlic and chilies and stir for another minute. (If you don't have Calabrian chilies, roast, skin, and seed the fresh chilies use resource page.) Pour the onion mixture into a bowl. Divide the mixture into 6 balls and then form into patties about 1/2 inch thick. Heat the remaining 10 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet. When the oil is hot, add 3 of the patties (the patties should be half-submerged in the oil; add more oil as needed.) Brown for about 3 minutes on the first side, turn, and brown for another 2 to 3 minutes on the second side. Remove and drain on papertowels while cooking the second batch. Sprinkle with salt and eat while warm or let the croquettes cool, place them in a sturdy plastic container, and pack them in your picnic basket. SERVES 4 To 6

excerpts from: "Cat Cora's Kitchen", by Cat Cora

Watermelon Delight

Watermelon delight, or watermelon pie, is traditionally made in the Cyclades Islands as well as in some of the Dodecanese Islands.

The traditional recipe uses an August watermelon from a waterless plantation - a field where different fruit and vegetables, such as melons, tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, gumbo etc. are cultivated, without a drop of water. These fruits are usually smaller in size and extremely aromatic.

However, in the absence of that kind of watermelon, it can still taste delicious with normal watermelons.

Ingredients

For a 30-cm baking pan:
1 medium size watermelon
1/2 kg flour
3 - 4 tablespoons sugar
50g sesame seeds
3 tablespoons honey (preferrably Greek)

Preparation

Cut the watermelon in half.

Discard the hard outer skin and place the inside in a bowl.

Remove the seeds and make into a pulp with your hands.

Allow the watermelon to strain for about an hour. (you can keep the juice to drink)

Mix the flour, sugar about 1/3 of the honey with the pulp and place in the baking pan.

Pour another 1/3 of the honey evenly over the mixture and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

Bake in a preheated oven at 200 C for about 70 minutes.

When you remove it from the oven, add the remaining honey and the dessert is ready.

It can be eaten straight from the oven, but is also delicious cold.

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Authentic Greek Recipes

Greek Must Cookies (Moustokouloura)

These cookies are a tasty accompaniment for your coffee or tea. They have the distinctive taste of must - which is taken from the pressed grapes before it is made into wine - and a hint of cinnamon. You can make them either soft or crispy, depending on your preference.

Ingredients

250g sugar

170g grape must

150g extra virgin olive oil

200g water

9g ammonium bicarbonate

9g cinnamon

1 kg soft flour

4g baking powder

4g soda powder

Preparation

Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl to form a pliable dough, without over handling the dough.

Cover it with cling film and leave in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.

On a slightly floured surface shape the dough into circular cookies (see photo) and place them in a shallow buttered oven dish.

If you want the moustokouloura to be soft, cover them with aluminium foil, making a few holes in the foil with a fork and keep them covered for 10 minutes after they have been baked.

If you want them to be crispy, then leave them uncovered.

In both cases bake them in a pre heated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.

 

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Authentic Greek Recipes

 

Galaktoboureko

Ingredients

1 Packet Filo Pastry


For the Cream

250g butter – 50g for the cream and the rest for the filo
1 litre fresh milk
2/3 cup fine semolina
1/3 cup thick semolina
Grated rind from 2 lemons
4 eggs
2 vanilla essence
½ teaspoonful grated cinnamon


For the Syrup

2 cups water
3 ½ cups sugar
3 sticks of cinnamon
3 slices lemon peel
1 tablespoonful syrup
15 cloves plus some extra for the filo



Preparation of Galaktoboureko

Remove the filo from the fridge and let it come to room temperature.

Simmer the milk in a large pan with the sugar and the semolina, stirring continuously until the mixture starts to thicken.

Lower the temperature and add the eggs one at a time whilst stirring vigorously.

Allow the mixture to thicken whilst stirring continuously.

Add the remaining ingredients for the cream.

Set the cream aside, covering it with cling film which is in contact with the cream so as that it doesn’t form a crust.

Melt the butter.

Spread half of the filo on the bottom of a large round oven dish and spread melted butter on it.

Spread the cream on top of the filo.

Place the remaining filo, spread with melted butter, on top of the cream.

Cut round the edge of the oven dish to remove the extra filo.

Fold the filo over the edge of the oven dish.

Butter the surface.

With a sharp knife, score the top of the filo diagonally into portion sizes. In the centre of each portion place a clove.

Bake the galaktoboureko in a preheated moderate oven for about 40 minutes or until it has a golden colour.

Allow it to cool and cut it where it has been scored, whilst it is still in the oven dish.

It is better to leave it overnight and prepare the syrup to go on top the following morning.

Preparation of Syrup

Put the water and sugar in a large pan.

Add the rest of the ingredients for the syrup and boil gently for 20 minutes.

Pour the syrup on top of the galaktoboureko, allowing it to be absorbed.



When serving, sprinkle some ground cinnamon on top of each portion.

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Authentic Greek Recipes

 

Pasta Flora Tart

This is a traditional Greek sweet, which I remember from childhood always being served with the coffee or juice whenever we went on family visits. It is more often than not baked in a square or rectangular dish, but can also be baked in a circular shape, as you can see from the photo.

The fruit in the recipe here is quince - for the simple reason that it is my favourite! - but other fruit can also be used, most notably sweetened grapes in syrup.

Ingredients

325g butter
150g icing sugar
3g salt
2 eggs
1 vanilla essence
Grated rind from 1 orange
½ kg soft flour
1 tin quince fruit in syrup


Preparation

Beat the butter and the sugar well in the mixer and then add the salt, vanilla essence, orange rind and eggs one at a time and beat for another 5 minutes.

Change the attachment on the mixer, and use the one for kneading.

Add the flour to the mixture and knead until you have pliable dough.

Take the dough and wrap it in cling film and place it in the fridge for 1 hour.

When you remove the dough from the fridge, divide it into 2 parts.

Butter a tart dish and evenly spread half the dough in it.

Drain the syrup from the quince fruit and then spread the fruit over the dough, just enough to cover it.

Take the remaining dough and, with the help of flour, knead it into long strings roughly the thickness of your little finger. Use these to make a criss-cross pattern on top of the fruit.

Bake it in a moderate pre-heated oven for approx. 30-40 minutes, until the tart turns a slightly golden colour.

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Authentic Greek Recipes

Ravani

This is a very simple, tasty little sweet. You can have it to accompany your coffee or tea. Nice and easy to make, too!


Ingredients

1 kg all purpose flour
1/8 kg fine semolina
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
¾ litre extra virgin olive oil
½ kg sugar
¾ litre water
Juice from ½ lemon
Grated rind from ½ lemon

Preparation

Put the oil, water and half of the sugar in a pan and bring to the boil.

Add the semolina, flour, lemon juice and rind and the remaining sugar, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon.

Reduce the heat to the minimum.

When all the ingredients are well mixed, transfer to a shallow, greased oven dish.

The thickness of the mixture should be 3 – 4 cm.

Smooth the mixture so that it is even throughout the dish.

Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top.

Bake in a pre heated oven at 180 – 200 degrees for 1½ hours or until the edges turn golden brown.

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Authentic Greek Recipes

Greek Apple Pie (Milopita)

My mother had this recipe since she was a young girl and it was popular in the north of Greece at that time. It's more of an accompaniment to tea or coffee rather than a sweet at the end of a meal as other apple pies are. Of course, you can eat it with cream (I do!) and it has a nice 'squidgy' apple filling and soft dough.


Ingredients

For the dough
500g self-raising flour
250g fresh butter (quite soft)
2 eggs
200g sugar

For the filling
1 kg cooking apples
300g sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon


Preparation

Dough

Beat the butter and sugar in the mixer for 5 minutes.
Add the eggs and beat for another 5 minutes.
Change the mixer attachment to the one for dough and add the flour.
Beat until you have a pliable dough.
Cover the dough in cling film and leave in the fridge to rest for I hour.

Meanwhile, discard the peel and pips from the apples, thickly grate them and drain well.

Add the cinnamon and sugar and mix. (set aside 1 tablespoon of sugar aside to sprinkle on top at the end)

Butter a round oven dish.

Divide the dough into two and spread the one half in the bottom of the oven dish.

Spread the apple, cinnamon and sugar mixture on top of the dough.

Cut 2 sheets of kitchen grease paper into the shape of the oven dish.

Roll out the second half of dough and place it between the 2 sheets so that it is the shape of the dish and evenly flat.

Remove the top sheet and then turn the dough with the bottom sheet over on top of the filling so that it covers it and remove the other sheet.

Make sure the edges are even and prick it evenly on top with a fork.

Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on top.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 C for 40 minutes or until it turns golden.

When it is ready, cut it into squares.(see photo)

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Authentic Greek Recipes

Greek Baked Quince With Yoghurt (Kidoni me Yaourti)

This is a really, really simple sweet to prepare - but so delicious! Quince is one of my favourite fruits and when it's baked and served with yoghurt and honey.... Well, just try it for yourself! The yoghurt should be Greek strained yoghurt and the honey should preferrably be Greek as well.

Ingredients

4 quinces
1 cup Greek strained yoghurt
1 tablespoon honey (preferrably Greek)


Preparation

Wash the quinces.

Wrap them in aluminium foil and bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 2 hours.

Remove from the oven and allow them to cool.

Remove the centre with the seeds and slice the fruit.

Serve with strained yoghurt with honey poured over the yoghurt.

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Authentic Greek Recipes

Greek Orange Spoon Sweet (Gliko Koutaliou Portokali)

It's common practice in Greece if you visit someone during the day or early evening, to be offered a spoon sweet, or 'gliko koutaliou'. This is a sweet made from fruit and kept in a jar, to be served on sweet dish (preferrable glass) whenever someone comes. All types of fruit are used, but this particular recipe is for orange. It's really easy to make and is a delightful sweet to eat.

Ingredients

4 large seedless oranges – preferably with a thick skin.
Sugar – the same weight as the oranges after they have been boiled.


Preparation

Wash the oranges and thinly slice off the top and tail.

Put them in a pan with enough water to cover them and boil for 1 hour.

Let them cool and then weigh them.

Cut in half horizontally and then cut the halves in half vertically.

Cut the quarters into thin slices – 1cm approx.

Empty the water from the pan and put the oranges in.

Add the same weight of sugar.

Bring to the boil and then simmer until it becomes a syrup – not too thick. This should be about 30 minutes.

Put the hot sweet into hot sterilised jars and save.

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Authentic Greek Recipes

Greek Halva (Halva Tis Rinas)

There are many types of halva, especially in the middle eastern countries. My own particular favourite is from Constantinople in Turkey, but obviously I can't put the recipe for that in a blog with authentic Greek recipes! In Greece we have Macedonian Halva from northern Greece - a hard halva - but the manufacturers keep the recipe a secret. We also have Halva tis Rinas (Rina's Halva) and that is the recipe that follows. Ideally it is served with some whipped cream on top, but that is optional.

Ingredients

400g fine semolina
6 medium eggs
120g grated almonds (with skin removed)
220g fresh butter at room temperature
150g sugar
100 ml milk
Grated rind from 1 lemon
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
2 teaspoons baking powder
250 ml double cream whipped (optional)

For the syrup

450g sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Peel from 3 – 4 lemons
600 ml water


Preparation

Separate the egg yolks from the whites.

Put the yolks and the sugar in a mixer and beat well.

Add the lemon rind and the milk and continue beating for a short time.

In another bowl mix the semolina, vanilla essence, baking powder and grated almonds and then add them to the yolk and sugar mixture.

Stir slowly.

Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and rinse and dry the mixer bowl well.

Put the egg whites in the mixer bowl and with the appropriate mixer head beat them into a loose meringue in the mixer.

Gradually transfer this to the first mixture and fold it in.

Grease a 30cm oven dish, 6cm deep and pour all the mixture into it.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes until it is a golden brown.

While the halva is in the oven, prepare the syrup - Put all the syrup ingredients in a pan and boil for 5 minutes.

Remove the lemon peel.

When you remove the halva from the oven, allow it to cool a little and then cut it into portions in the dish.

Pour the syrup all over it.

Cover it and allow it to rise while it is cooling.

When it has cooled completely, serve the portions with a little whipped cream on top.

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Authentic Greek Recipes

Greek Walnut Cake (Karidopita)

Old ladies from high Athens society used to sit in the tea and coffee houses eating this rich walnut cake as an accompaniment to their tea and gossip. It is delicious accompanied by whipped cream! The thing to be careful with is for it to be neither too dry nor too syrupy.

Ingredients

100g walnuts very roughly chopped
400g grated walnuts
400g all purpose flour
400g sugar
125g butter
8 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 tablespoons cognac
1 tablespoon crumbled rusks

For the Syrup

320g sugar
400ml water

Preparation

Beat the butter, sugar, cinnamon the yolks of the eggs in a mixer for 10 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl.

Clean the mixer bowl and beat the whites of the eggs in the mixer until it becomes a meringue.

Add half of the meringue to the yolk mixture.

Mix the baking powder with the 400g grated walnuts, gradually adding the flour.

Add this mixture to the egg yolk mixture along with the remaining meringue, stirring gently.

Transfer the whole mixture to a 30cm oven dish, 6cm deep, which has been well buttered, and the crumbled rusks sprinkled over the bottom.

Spread the 100g roughly chopped walnuts on top.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the sugar and water in a pan and boil for 15 minutes.

Remove the cake and cut into pieces with a bread knife and spread the syrup over the top, followed by the cognac.

 

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Authentic Greek Recipes

 

Baclava (Baklava)

Well, it was only a matter of time before we had the recipe for Baclava (or Baklava) here! It's probably one of the best-known sweets from this area of the world and quite rightly so, in my opinion! You should be able to obtain the sheets of filo pastry where you live - it's available in most parts of the world, I believe.

Ingredients

500g butter

300g grated walnuts

40 sheets filo pastry

1 tablespoon cinnamon

For the syrup

650g sugar

80g glucose

400g water

Preparation

Melt the butter in a pan.

Cut all the sheets of filo pastry into a circular shape to fit the round, medium-sized oven dish you will use.

Butter the oven dish and start placing 20 sheets of filo pastry individually, buttering each one as you do so.

Mix the cinnamon with the walnuts and add the mixture to the dish on top of the 20 filo sheets.

Place the other 20 sheets on top, again individually and buttering each one as you do so.

Place the dish in the fridge for 10 minutes.

When you take it out, cut the baklava into diamond shapes (see photo) making sure you make the cuts right to the bottom.

Spray it with water and bake it in a pre heated oven at 150 C for 90 minutes.

While the baklava is baking, prepare the syrup.

Put all the ingredients for the syrup in a pan, bring to the boil and continue boiling for 3 minutes.

When you remove the baklava from the oven, pour the syrup evenly on top of it. This has to be done when both are still hot.

 

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Authentic Greek Recipes

 

Greek Yoghurt Cake (Yaourtopita)

This is a refreshing and easily prepared cake for the summer months (or any other time of the year!) prepared with Greek strained yoghurt. Although it can be eaten warm straight from the oven, it is best eaten when it is cold.

Ingredients

400g fine semolina

400g sugar

500g Greek strained yoghurt

5 eggs

50g almonds very finely chopped

0.6g vanilla powder

1 tbsp baking powder

Grated peel from 1 lemon

Pinch of salt

For the syrup

350g water

600g sugar

3 thin strips of lemon peel

Preparation

Put the eggs, sugar and grated peel in a bowl and beat well with a hand whisk.

Add the yoghurt and beat well until it is well mixed.

Set aside 1 tbsp of semolina and put the rest in a bowl and add the almonds, vanilla, baking powder and salt. Mix well.

Add this mixture to the yoghurt mixture and mix well.

Take an oven dish 30cm diameter and 5cm deep, butter it and sprinkle the tbsp of semolina you have previously set aside.

Put the mixture in the dish and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes.

In the meantime prepare the syrup by boiling all the syrup ingredients for 5 minutes.

When the cake is ready, cut it into portions in the oven dish and pour the syrup over it.

Remember, the cake should be hot when you do this and the syrup warm.

 

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Authentic Greek Recipes

 

Greek Loukoumades

Those of you who have eaten loukoumades will know what a delicious treat they are! There are cafes here that serve them and you can just walk in off the street and order a plateful of them to eat. However, home made loukoumades are much cleaner and tastier. They are ideally eaten as they are made - nice and warm with the syrup all over them! To be honest, they are more of a winter dish, but that plateful of loukoumades in the photos disappeared down my throat in no time at all even now in the middle of summer! Not a problem!


Ingredients


1 kg hard flour
50g fresh yeast
150 ml sunflower oil – for mixture
Approx 500 ml sunflower oil – for deep frying
450-500 ml tepid water
15g sugar
10g salt
4 tbsp icing sugar
1 level tbsp cinnamon

For the syrup
600g sugar
300 ml water
200g honey (preferably Greek)


Preparation

In a bowl dissolve the yeast in the tepid water, along with the sugar and salt.

Add the flour and dissolve it well in the water with your hands.

Add the 150ml oil and stir well.

Cover it and let it rest in a warm place for at least 1 hour, to rise.

Prepare the syrup by boiling the sugar and water for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the honey.

Put the 500 ml oil in a deep pan and heat.

Turn the dough in the bowl a few times with your hands.

Take a handful of dough and, with your hand in a fist, squeeze until the dough comes out as a ball between your thumb and index finger. Using a tablespoon which you have dipped in a small bowl with oil, scoop this ball and place in the deep pan to fry.

If you want them to have holes in the middle (see photo), then there is a technique using your fingers instead of a spoon. Using the thumb and middle finger of your free hand, take the dough from the hand that is holding it and press a hole in the middle with your index finger before putting it in the pan to fry.

Repeat this process, dipping the spoon into the oil each time, until you have covered the surface of the oil in the pan.

Once the one side has become golden brown, turn the balls over in the oil so that the other side gets done. The process should only take about 2 minutes or so.

Remove the balls and place on kitchen paper to drain.

Repeat this process until you have used all the dough.

Put all the loukoumades (balls) in a large bowl and pour the syrup over them.

Holding the bowl with both hands, shake the loukoumades so that the syrup goes over them all.

Arrange the loukoumades in serving dishes.

Mix the icing sugar and cinnamon well and sprinkle evenly over them.

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Greek Tiganites

We got a special request for this recipe from Diane, so here it is. These are very similar to pancakes and were very often made by grannies for their young grandchildren - they're really easy to make. Here we've given a recipe with Greek strained yoghurt in them, which makes them especially delicious.

However the most common way of making them, especially in the villages, was just with flour and water - no yoghurt, eggs, butter or sugar that you see in the recipe below - just the flour and enough water to make a thick but runny mixture that could be fried. The honey and cinnamon was then spread on top at the end.

Ingredients


200g white self-raising flour
3 eggs
300g Greek strained yoghurt
2 level tbsp sugar
75g melted butter
300ml sunflower oil
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp honey
½ tsp cinnamon


Preparation

Beat the eggs and sugar with a whisk.

Add the butter, yoghurt and salt and stir well.

Add the flour gradually and continue stirring – avoid lumps – to make a smooth, thick but quite runny mixture.

If the mixture is too thick, you can add a little water.

Heat the oil in the frying pan.

Using a ladle, preferably with a small spout, add the mixture in round shapes to the frying pan – as many as your pan will comfortably take.

Lower the heat – you don’t want it too strong – and fry the tiganites for approx 1-2 minutes on each side.

Remove and place on kitchen paper to drain and continue until you have used all the mixture.

Place all the tiganites on a large plate and evenly spread the honey over them and sprinkle the cinnamon over them.

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Greek Apple Spoon Sweet (Glyko Koutaliou me Mila Firikio)

We previously posted the recipe for Orange Spoon Sweet and this is the recipe for a spoon sweet with firikio apples. I haven't been able to find the English word for firikio, but they are small, tasty apples - you can see the ones we picked in the photo at the bottom. As I mentioned previously, it's common practice in Greece if you visit someone during the day or early evening, to be offered a spoon sweet, or 'gliko koutaliou'. This is a sweet made from fruit and kept in a jar, to be served on sweet dish (preferrable glass) whenever someone comes.

The recipe below has 2 kg of sugar, but some people use less. You can try it and see what suits your taste. It's really easy to make and is a delightful sweet to eat.


Ingredients


1 kg firikio apples
2 kg sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
10 cloves
4 cups water
Juice from 1 lemon
8 tbsp glucose
Peeled almonds


Preparation

Peel the apples and core them so that they are still whole but there is a hole through the middle.

Place the apples in a bowl of water and add the lemon juice.

In a pan boil the sugar with the water and the glucose.

As soon as it comes to the boil and the sugar has dissolved, add the apples, cinnamon sticks and cloves.

Continue boiling the mixture, removing the froth every so often, until the syrup has formed. After about 30 min. you can check the apples with a fork and if they are cooked and the syrup has formed, you can remove from the heat.

Let it cool, remove the cinnamon sticks and cloves and fill in the hollow core with almonds.

Put the mixture in a large glass jar, ready to serve whenever you wish.

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Traditional Greek Christmas Sweets - Melomakarona

Well, it's Christmas time again, so we're posting recipes for traditional Greek Christmas sweets for you. Today it's Melomakarona, which is my particular favourite, and tomorrow I'll be posting the recipe for Kourambiedes.

In between Christmas and New Year I'll post the recipe for Vassilopitta, which is the traditional New Year cake in Greece, with the good-luck charm or coin in it.


Ingredients

9 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup fine semolina
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups ground walnuts
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup sunflower oil
250g soft butter
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon soda
2/3 cup icing sugar
½ cup brandy
Juice from 2 oranges
Juice from ½ lemon

For the syrup

500g water
700g icing sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1 orange cut in half
300g thyme honey


Preparation

First prepare the syrup so that it has cooled by the time you come to pour it on the melomakarona.

Syrup

Put all the ingredients except the honey in a pan and boil for 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat, add 100g honey and set aside to cool.

Melomakarona

Beat the sugar, olive oil, sunflower oil and butter in a mixer for 15 minutes.

Add the orange juice and the egg yolks and continue beating until the mixture has formed a creamy texture.

Add the brandy.

Dissolve the soda in the lemon juice and add to the mixture and keep beating for another minute.

Take a cup of flour and add to it the nutmeg, cinnamon, baking powder and cloves.

Add this mixture to the rest of the flour.

Make a dough with the liquid mixture from the mixer and the flour gently with your hands, but it is very important that you don’t overhandle the dough.

Take small portions of the dough and roll them into oval balls in your palm and place them on a non-stick oven dish.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 15 minutes.

While they are still warm, dip them in the cold syrup and place them in a layer on a Christmas decorated oven dish.

Take a spoonful of honey diluted with ½ cup of syrup and spread over the melomakarona.

Sprinkle the ground walnuts on top.

Continue placing layers on top in a pyramid fashion, repeating the process with the syrup and nuts for each layer.

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Traditional Greek Christmas Sweets - Kourambiedes

As promised, we have the other main Greek tradional Christmas sweet - Kourambiedes. These contain a touch of ouzo as you can see, and it shouldn't be difficult to obtain some where you live as it is popular internationally.


Ingredients

450g butter
120g blanched almonds
3½ cups all-purpose flour
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons ouzo
¾ cup icing sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 vanilla essences

Preparation

Place the almonds in a shallow oven dish and bake them in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees C for about 15 minutes until they are slightly brown.

Let them cool and then chop them into three.

Place the butter, which should be soft, in a mixer with the icing sugar and beat well with the cake beater for 15 minutes.

Add the egg yolk, ouzo and vanilla essences and continue beating for another 5 minutes.

Add the baking powder and almonds to the flour, add this mixture to the mixer and beat for a few seconds until the flour has been absorbed by the liquid.

Take pieces of the dough, trying to handle it as little as possible, and make them into the shape you want. Normally they are circular, but you can also make them oval, star-shaped, crescent-shaped etc. The thickness should be about 1½ cm.

Place them on non-stick oven dishes and bake in a pre heated oven at 160 degrees C for 20 minutes.

Allow them to cool, then dip them in icing sugar and place them in a layer on a Christmas decorated dish.

Sprinkle plenty of icing sugar on top of them and then place more layers on top in pyramid fashion. Sprinkle plenty of icing sugar on top of each layer.

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Traditional Greek New Year Cake - Vassilopita

First of all, I'd like to wish you all a very happy and prosperous New Year! In Greece we traditionally have the Vassilopitta cake at New Year. A coin or special good luck charm called the floori is placed in it and whoever gets the slice with this in it supposedly has good luck all the year. Slices are not only cut for the people there, but also for the House, God, Christ and whoever else you wish. Obviously if God or Christ's slice has the coin or charm, it doesn't mean that they're going to have good luck (!) but that you will feel their influence all year.

There are a few different ways of making Vasilopitta, and this is just one of them - which we like!

Ingredients

900g self-raising white flour
9 eggs – yolks and whites separated
240g butter at room temperature
Juice from 7 medium oranges
750g sugar
Grated rind from one orange
120ml brandy
1 teaspoon baking powder
5 tablespoons ground almonds
2 vanilla essences
100g icing sugar

Preparation

Beat the sugar and butter in the mixer for 10 minutes.

Add the egg yolks one at a time and continue beating for another 10 minutes.

Add the juice, brandy and rind gradually and continue beating.

Spread the baking powder to the flour through a sieve.

Add the ground almonds and then add the flour mixture to the other mixture, stirring gently with a spatula.

Beat the egg whites into a meringue, add to the mixture and combine them gently with a spatula.

Grease a round baking dish – 34cm diameter, 5cm height – and sprinkle some flour in it.

Place the mixture in the dish and bake in a pre-heated moderate oven for 75 minutes – or until a skewer placed in the centre of the cake comes out cleanly.

Insert a coin or small good luck charm wrapped in tin foil anywhere in the underside of the cake and transfer to a seasonal cake plate.

Place a stencil with the year (2009) on top of the centre of the cake and sprinkle well with icing sugar through a sieve.

Remove the stencil so that the year is showing clearly (see photo).

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Greek Easter Cookies

Unlike the other Christian Churches, Greek Easter is this weekend. You will find Easter cookies in all the houses these days. They're easy to make and a nice accompaniment for your coffee. You can make them into whatever shape you want, but I have shown the most traditional in the photo at the bottom of the post. You might also like to check out the recipe for Greek Easter Bread (Tsoureki) that I previously posted.

Ingredients

1 kg soft flour
4 medium size eggs at room temperature
350g sugar
350g butter at room temperature
60ml orange juice
3 tablespoons brandy
30g baking powder
Grated rind from 1 orange

For the egg wash

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water and a pinch of vanilla essence

Preparation

Beat the butter and sugar really well in the mixer.

Add the eggs one at a time and continue beating for 4 minutes.

Add the orange rind, orange juice and brandy and continue beating for another minute.

Sift the flour in a large bowl and then sift in the baking powder.

Make a hole in the centre and pour in the mixture from the mixer.

Combine them all gently – do not overhandle this dough as the butter will start to come out.

Form the dough into a ball and remove small portions and shape them into cookies – you can see the most common forms in the photo at the bottom.

Arrange them in buttered trays and brush them with the eggwash.

Bake them in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes or until they turn golden brown.

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Greek Easter Cake - Tsoureki

This light cake is traditionally eaten at Easter and the red painted hard-boiled egg that it is placed in the centre is an indication of this. When making at any other time of the year however, it is optional whether or not you have the red egg for decoration.

The cake is nice and light inside, with the mastic creating a light stringiness when you break it into pieces (traditionally you break it with your hands and don't cut it with a knife).


Ingredients
1kg very good quality hard flour (Canadian Robin Hood is best)
80g fresh yeast
300g sugar
5 eggs (4 for the cake and 1 to spread on top)
150ml warm water
200g good quality butter
Grated rind from 1 orange
1 teaspoon mahlep
2 vanilla essences
¼ teaspoon grated mastic
Preparation
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and mix in ¼ of the flour.

Cover the mixture and let it rest.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan.

Set aside 2 tablespoons of the butter.

Melt the sugar in the remaining melted butter and transfer to a mixer and beat well.

Add the 4 eggs one at a time and continue beating for 4 minutes.

Place the remaining flour in a large bowl and add the orange rind, mastic, mahlep and 1 vanilla essence.

Add the egg, sugar and butter mixture that you have beaten in the mixture.

Add the yeast and flour mixture.

Knead well, using the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter to wet your hands while kneading.

You should knead the mixture using the method of folding and spreading.
Cover the dough and let it rest in a warm place until it has doubled in size.

Divide the dough in 2 and “knit” the 2 lengths into “plaits” and join the ends to make a circular shape.

Again, let it rest in a warm place until it has doubled in size.

Beat the remaining egg with the other vanilla essence and 2 tablespoons of water.

Spread this lightly across the dough with a soft brush.
Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180 degrees) for 45 minutes or until it has turned a golden colour.

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Greek Ek Mek Sweet

This is a delightful, refreshing sweet! It's also very light and is often accompanied by ice cream. You will need kataifi phyllo and mastic to make it - if it is difficult for you to obtain where you live, then there are a couple of links at the bottom of this post where you can order them on the internet. You will then need to crush the mastic drops.

Ingredients

½ packet kataifi phyllo

200g pistachio nuts (unsalted and unroasted) roughly crumbled

1 litre milk

½ litre whipping cream

100g butter

450g vanilla corn flour (if you can’t get vanilla corn flour, then use ordinary corn flour plus 1 vanilla)

½ tsp ground mastic

3 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp icing sugar

For the Syrup

2 cups water

1¾ cups sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

Preparation

Crumble the kataifi phyllo into a buttered oven dish (approx. 35cm x 30cm x 5cm)

Melt the butter and spread evenly over the phyllo with a spoon.

Put in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes or until it is golden brown.

Just before the 30 minutes is over, prepare the syrup by boiling the water, sugar and lemon juice for 4 minutes.

Remove the phyllo from the oven and pour the hot syrup evenly over it.

Set aside to cool and absorb the syrup.

Heat ¾ of the milk in a pan.

While the milk in the pan is heating, but before it has come to the boil, dissolve the corn flour and sugar in the remaining ¼ of the milk.

Add this slowly to the milk in the pan, stirring continuously.

Bring to the boil and once it thickens, remove from the heat.

Add the ground mastic.

As soon as it cools, add 250ml of the whipping cream, stirring very well.

Sprinkle half of the crumbled pistachio nuts over the kataifi phyllo.

Spread the cream mixture on top of this.

Set aside to become completely cold.

Whip the remaining cream with the icing sugar.

Spread this on top and even out the surface.

Sprinkle the remaining crumbled pistachio nuts evenly on top.

Put in the fridge for at least two hours.

 

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Greek Bougatsa Sweet

This is a recipe for Bougatsa (pronounced with a soft g) which is yet another delicious sweet. People often buy these from small shops on the street and eat them as they are walking. The quality in these shops varies, as you can imagine, but the recipe below will produce a tasty pastry and delicious filling.

Ingredients

Pastry

500g all-purpose flour

200g butter

50g butter for finish

260ml soda water

1 tsp salt

½ sugar

Icing sugar (to sprinkle on top at the end)

Filling

1 litre milk

40g corn flour

80g fine semolina

200g sugar

4 eggs

100g butter

30g butter (to spread on top)

2 vanillas

Preparation

Pastry

Put the flour, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl and add the soda water to make a pliable dough.

Knead the dough well for approx. 10 minutes.

Divide into 4 balls, wrap them in cling film and set aside to rest for 1 hr.

After the 1 hour, take one of the balls of dough and on a floured surface roll it out into a circle approx. 40cm diameter.

Half melt the 200g butter and brush ¼ of it generously over the pastry.

Fold the pastry into a square in the stages shown in the photos below, tapping it with your hands to make sure there are no air bubbles.

Set aside.

Roll out another ball of dough into a circle approx. 40 cm diameter.

Brush it with another ¼ of the half-melted butter.

Place the first square of pastry in the centre of the circle and fold into a square as in the photos below.

 

 

Wrap in cling film and leave in the fridge for 1 hr.

Repeat this process with the other 2 balls of dough.

After the 1 hr has passed, roll out one of the squares on a floured surface, large enough to cover the bottom of an oven dish as well as the sides and to go over the edge.

Butter the dish and place the pastry on the bottom, flattening it with your hands, up the side and over the edge.

Filling

Put the milk and the 100g butter in a pan and stir until the butter has melted.

Before the milk boils, Put the corn flour, semolina, sugar, eggs and vanillas in a bowl and mix well.

When the milk comes to the boil, add the mixture from the bowl and stir very well until it thickens.

Remove from the heat and pour into the oven dish on top of the pastry.

Fold the edge of the pastry inwards on top of the edge of the filling.

Roll out the other square of pastry and place it on top.

Melt the 30g butter and brush over the top.

Score the surface into helpings.

Place in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes or until it has gone golden brown.

Sprinkle icing sugar on top.

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